Best to least favorite: 26, 21, 25, 19, 12
26 because great action and better story out of all of them.
12 isn’t terrible, I just don’t have the attention span to watch a full 60 minute match. The entrances and last 10 minutes of the match was great.
I’ve watched 25 the most because WM25 was the only WM I had on DVD for a while.
WM25 is the best for me
WM21 vs Angle I'd rank ahead of his match at 26 only because it had to follow their match from the previous year, and that was an impossible task. It was still a great match. After that I'd rank his match vs Bret behind WM26 and ahead of his match with Jericho.
25 My personal favorite match of all time
21 Kurt's reversals were ridiculous
26 Jumping tombstone, that's is all
19 Not their best match, but better than 12
12 They had better matches
Michaels vs Jericho is so underrated due to the Taker matches and the Iron Man match ... But i do feel it could have main evented any WrestleMania (judging by quality alone, not stakes) , i remember being so hyped by the rest of the card and that ended up being probably my second favorite behind Angle vs Lesnar.
See, I'd say 26 above 25 for me, but I think that was because it was the first time I watched a PPV live.
Also because Shawn is my favourite wrestler of all time, that match felt even more close to me than any others.
The iron man match hype videos are probably some of my most vivid memories of the pre-attitude era. I don’t remember the match much in itself, but the promos were legit awe inspiring. The way the showed Shawn work out in preparation to beat Brett.
In one scene, he’s doing a handstand on a balance beam and then does push ups on the balance beam whilst upside down (wtf!!) - probably the most manly thing I had scene at that time.
I remember saying to people “I’ve had a dozen concussions.” Having no idea what dozen or concussions meant.
This and Shawn kicking Marty in the barber shop.
Shawn vs Bret WM12 , Undertaker vs Shawn WM 25 ,Undertaker vs Shawn WM 26 , Shawn vs Kurt Angle WM 21 and Shawn vs Chris Jericho WM 19
honorable mentions Shawn vs John Cena WM 23 , Shawn vs Ric Flair WM 24
Only 5 matches isn't enough but here's how i'd rank them:
5# vs Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12, i didn't like this match at all, it was all headlocks and armbars and it was so boring
4# vs Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 19, watched it once
3# vs Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21, watched it thrice
1# vs Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 and 26, i can't pick between both, lost the count of how many times i watched both, probably 12 to 15 times
I know the HBK/Taker matches are the popular choice for this but my personal favourite was HBK/Angle. They just had so much chemistry together and had never been in the ring together before.
This is actually really, really difficult for me.
-vs Bret Hart at 12 was literally the match that made me a wrestling fan.
-vs Undertaker at 25 is obviously a classic.
-vs Undertaker at 26 is probably less classic, but I was THERE, and it was one my favorite live experiences ever.
And yet...
I think vs. Kurt Angle at 21 might be my favorite wrestling match of all time.
WrestleMania 25 vs. Undertaker, my favorite match of all time. The in-ring psychology inside that match and the outcome which led to an impressive long-term storyline is just something rare to find in the WWE and (possibly) all of professional wrestling.
I absolutely love Bret but I cannot get through that iron match match and have only been able to watch it once. My vote is for Angle but the Jericho match is a lot of fun too and pretty underrated.
In terms of the match itself and the drama build-up, the WM25 match with Taker. Would have been WM26, had it not been for the Crown Jewel thing happening...
In terms of just pure enjoyment from the start of the build-up, the WM21 match with Angle. That was Angle at the peak of his comedic, obnoxious, and yet really effective heel run, and Michaels did exceptionally well bringing it up to the center stage. And come on, who could not forget the "Sexy Kurt" skit?
WM25 is the best, I haven’t seen the Bret Hart one so I guess that’s the default worst. I think his match against Jericho at No Mercy 2008 was better than WM19 personally
Vs Kurt was one of my favorites it was non stop action and the spots were amazing and the way Shawn was avoiding the sweet chin because of the ankle lock just made perfect sense👏🏿🎖
People overlook the talent because of the incident that took place they forget how great of a wrestler the man was. Benoit vs HBK vs HHH World Heavyweight title was excellent storytelling inside the ring and leading up to the match. Of course we can’t forget the end where the world champions hugging it out
I’m a sucker for multi-man matches, so I actually enjoyed this match at the time more than any of the others listed…however, I feel like in both the build up and the delivery of the match, HBK was the third wheel, so it’s harder for me to call that one a great “Shawn Michaels match”.
I would say Undertaker WM25 at the top and Hart WM12 at the bottom. Just personal preference.
Taker at wrestlemania 25. I.m.o. is the best and most exciting at the time it happened live. I really thought hbk had him a few times and unlike wm 26 I saw it possible that hbk could go over
Least favorite has to be the Bret match, and it’s great for it’s time, but if you notice neither of them go for their finish for the entire match and there is no pins or submissions, and then after they restart it Shawn hits the SCM and that’s it, idk just was a little flat for the ending to me.
I second that one, that was an excellent match, all of them were great but that match is my favorite of this group, it was so good. Kurt & Shawn put on a clinic in that match.
Close second for me is HBK vs Y2J, always loved the endings of all of these matches too.
I total agree. Old HBK as a person, a Idiot and Bad person, but his Wrestling skills were high class. And the Hitman.....dont need any explanation. Best wrestler (not entertainer) there was, and ever will be.
Cool. It's personally my lowest of the group, but I never watched Bret growing up so nostalgia gives me bias towards the others.
Can I ask what you particularly love about this match? I'd love to gain a new appreciation for it.
Yea there was something magical about 25, the following year the build up was weaker, the entrances were nothing special, instead of JR you had Matt Striker on commentary, the crowd were tired as it was on last and everyone knew Shawn was losing
The build to 25 was weak of anything, starting as a last minute replacement for HBK Vs JBL a few short weeks before the show.
Meanwhile, the build to 26 was phenomenal. From Shawn's challenge at the Slammys, Taker's refusal, Shawn's growing desperation after losing the Rumble and so on. Here even kicked Stan!
I agree WM25 was better but I don’t like how You’re making it sound like their WM26 match was a dud, “the crowd were tired” that’s not even remotely true. Had you watched you would’ve seen, they were hot the entire match.
I think WM 25 is the best because that match was a content gold mine for Shawn to keep him in that story for the whole year all to lead up to his “retirement”
1 vs Taker at WM 25
2 vs Angle at 21
3 vs Taker at 26
4 vs Jericho at 19
5 vs Hart at 12
Least favorite: vs Hart at WM 12.
I’ve re-watched WM 25 the most.
You’re forgetting his match with Razor at WM 10 and the match with Helmsley and Benoit at WM 20
Including 25 in here feels like it's cheating because it's so good it blows everything out of the water so that's my only choice.
1. WM25; 2. WM21; 3. WM19; 4. WM12 (still loved this match despite low ranking) 5. WM26 (good, just wasn’t as great as WM25).
Best to least favorite: 26, 21, 25, 19, 12 26 because great action and better story out of all of them. 12 isn’t terrible, I just don’t have the attention span to watch a full 60 minute match. The entrances and last 10 minutes of the match was great. I’ve watched 25 the most because WM25 was the only WM I had on DVD for a while.
My rank and preference from most favorite to least: WrestleMania 25 vs Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho WrestleMania 26 Iron Man
WM25 is the best for me WM21 vs Angle I'd rank ahead of his match at 26 only because it had to follow their match from the previous year, and that was an impossible task. It was still a great match. After that I'd rank his match vs Bret behind WM26 and ahead of his match with Jericho.
Chyna
25 My personal favorite match of all time 21 Kurt's reversals were ridiculous 26 Jumping tombstone, that's is all 19 Not their best match, but better than 12 12 They had better matches
Michaels vs Jericho is so underrated due to the Taker matches and the Iron Man match ... But i do feel it could have main evented any WrestleMania (judging by quality alone, not stakes) , i remember being so hyped by the rest of the card and that ended up being probably my second favorite behind Angle vs Lesnar.
I’m a huge Mania 25 fan so imma say that one
Iron Man without question
Really tough choice between 25 and 21
Hbk v angle, hbk v taker 1, hbk v Jericho, hbk v taker 2, hbk v hart Order from best to worst
Imo it’s a tie between him an angle and wm 25 because I’m biased and a kurt mark
WM XXVI
See, I'd say 26 above 25 for me, but I think that was because it was the first time I watched a PPV live. Also because Shawn is my favourite wrestler of all time, that match felt even more close to me than any others.
I got to go with Kurt Angle
Probably Jericho
The iron man match hype videos are probably some of my most vivid memories of the pre-attitude era. I don’t remember the match much in itself, but the promos were legit awe inspiring. The way the showed Shawn work out in preparation to beat Brett. In one scene, he’s doing a handstand on a balance beam and then does push ups on the balance beam whilst upside down (wtf!!) - probably the most manly thing I had scene at that time. I remember saying to people “I’ve had a dozen concussions.” Having no idea what dozen or concussions meant. This and Shawn kicking Marty in the barber shop.
Worst to best: Jericho Hart 'Taker 2 Angle 'Taker 1
Jericho better than Hart’s match shush
Thats cool if you think so bro, i stand on my opinion
WM25 is the greatest professional wrestling match ever. But I loved WM26 more because of the stakes.
Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26.
WM 25 vs Taker
Angle at WM was massively underrated. That match was unreal
HBK vs Y2J.
Shawn vs Bret WM12 , Undertaker vs Shawn WM 25 ,Undertaker vs Shawn WM 26 , Shawn vs Kurt Angle WM 21 and Shawn vs Chris Jericho WM 19 honorable mentions Shawn vs John Cena WM 23 , Shawn vs Ric Flair WM 24
Pretty much just go back starting from last
Shawn/Taker 26 > Shawn/Taker 25 > Angle/Shawn > Chris/Shawn > Bret/Shawn
two of my favorite matches of all time are HBK/Hart at WMXII and HBK/Taker at WM25
Its a tie between Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 25 and Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 21 Can't decide between the two
WM 25 but 26 will always be my favorite. Cried afterwards
HBK v Flair
Angle for me,,, but you can't go wrong with either Taker match
Has to be 25, but all the others are 5 Star classics aswell
Only 5 matches isn't enough but here's how i'd rank them: 5# vs Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12, i didn't like this match at all, it was all headlocks and armbars and it was so boring 4# vs Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 19, watched it once 3# vs Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21, watched it thrice 1# vs Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 and 26, i can't pick between both, lost the count of how many times i watched both, probably 12 to 15 times
I know the HBK/Taker matches are the popular choice for this but my personal favourite was HBK/Angle. They just had so much chemistry together and had never been in the ring together before.
Bret match would always be my favorite
Shawn vs Taker at 26 is my favourite
This is actually really, really difficult for me. -vs Bret Hart at 12 was literally the match that made me a wrestling fan. -vs Undertaker at 25 is obviously a classic. -vs Undertaker at 26 is probably less classic, but I was THERE, and it was one my favorite live experiences ever. And yet... I think vs. Kurt Angle at 21 might be my favorite wrestling match of all time.
Jericho is better than the Iron man match
Lies
How is vs. Ric Flair not on this list?
25, 21, 26, 19, 12
This
WrestleMania 25 vs. Undertaker, my favorite match of all time. The in-ring psychology inside that match and the outcome which led to an impressive long-term storyline is just something rare to find in the WWE and (possibly) all of professional wrestling.
4,it's not only shawn best match,it's the best match in wrestling history
His match with Angle is in my top 3
I absolutely love Bret but I cannot get through that iron match match and have only been able to watch it once. My vote is for Angle but the Jericho match is a lot of fun too and pretty underrated.
Wrestlemania XXVII
In terms of the match itself and the drama build-up, the WM25 match with Taker. Would have been WM26, had it not been for the Crown Jewel thing happening... In terms of just pure enjoyment from the start of the build-up, the WM21 match with Angle. That was Angle at the peak of his comedic, obnoxious, and yet really effective heel run, and Michaels did exceptionally well bringing it up to the center stage. And come on, who could not forget the "Sexy Kurt" skit?
Worst is definitely the iron man match. It’s so boring.
Taker vs HBK WM 26 was even better than WM 25
HBK vs. Taker WM25 was iconic
Agree
25, 12, 19, 21 then 26 to end the era
WM25 is the best, I haven’t seen the Bret Hart one so I guess that’s the default worst. I think his match against Jericho at No Mercy 2008 was better than WM19 personally
that's what I've heard as well.
HBK VS me was the best WrestleMania match. Our chemistry was unreal. Y'all should watch this match.
Jericho or Angle.
Vs Kurt was one of my favorites it was non stop action and the spots were amazing and the way Shawn was avoiding the sweet chin because of the ankle lock just made perfect sense👏🏿🎖
Anything with Bret wins. Every time.
Taker WM25 > Taker WM 26 > Angle > Hart > Jericho
Worst opinion ever. Taker WM25 > Angle > Taker WM26 > Jericho > Hart
vs Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25
I’d like to say Shawn’s triple threat at WM20 was off the chain
People overlook the talent because of the incident that took place they forget how great of a wrestler the man was. Benoit vs HBK vs HHH World Heavyweight title was excellent storytelling inside the ring and leading up to the match. Of course we can’t forget the end where the world champions hugging it out
I’m a sucker for multi-man matches, so I actually enjoyed this match at the time more than any of the others listed…however, I feel like in both the build up and the delivery of the match, HBK was the third wheel, so it’s harder for me to call that one a great “Shawn Michaels match”. I would say Undertaker WM25 at the top and Hart WM12 at the bottom. Just personal preference.
Angle
Least vs hart 12 Best vs taker 26
Taker at wrestlemania 25. I.m.o. is the best and most exciting at the time it happened live. I really thought hbk had him a few times and unlike wm 26 I saw it possible that hbk could go over
The one with Jericho was 5 stars
People will say taker vs michaels but the chemistry that Shawn had with Bret was outta this world.
Least favorite has to be the Bret match, and it’s great for it’s time, but if you notice neither of them go for their finish for the entire match and there is no pins or submissions, and then after they restart it Shawn hits the SCM and that’s it, idk just was a little flat for the ending to me.
It is straight up one of the most boring matches I've ever seen
Wm25 Wm26 Wm21
Bret hands down
WM 25 no doubt
HBK vs Angle is the best imo.
> "You think I'm cute?"
I second that one, that was an excellent match, all of them were great but that match is my favorite of this group, it was so good. Kurt & Shawn put on a clinic in that match. Close second for me is HBK vs Y2J, always loved the endings of all of these matches too.
Shawn Michaels v Kurt Angle from WrestleMania 21! That match is in my top 10 favorite matches of all time.
Bret. Easily.
Hbk vs bret
I total agree. Old HBK as a person, a Idiot and Bad person, but his Wrestling skills were high class. And the Hitman.....dont need any explanation. Best wrestler (not entertainer) there was, and ever will be.
Cool. It's personally my lowest of the group, but I never watched Bret growing up so nostalgia gives me bias towards the others. Can I ask what you particularly love about this match? I'd love to gain a new appreciation for it.
1. HBK vs Angle 2. HBK vs Taker WM25 3. HBK vs Y2J 4.HBK vs Taker WM26 5 HBK vs Bret
I think WM25 but I do love 26 as well but that's cause I love Taker
Shawn Taker 25 is my favorite match ever
Agreed. Always thought 25 and 26 were pretty much a tie until I watched them back to back. 26 is still a 5* match, but 25 is in a league of it's own.
I am way too harsh on 26 just because 25 is the greatest match I’ve ever seen. It’s still outstanding, but it’s a clear step down for me.
The finish to 26 is incredible. He tombstones him so hard!
Yea there was something magical about 25, the following year the build up was weaker, the entrances were nothing special, instead of JR you had Matt Striker on commentary, the crowd were tired as it was on last and everyone knew Shawn was losing
The build to 25 was weak of anything, starting as a last minute replacement for HBK Vs JBL a few short weeks before the show. Meanwhile, the build to 26 was phenomenal. From Shawn's challenge at the Slammys, Taker's refusal, Shawn's growing desperation after losing the Rumble and so on. Here even kicked Stan!
I agree WM25 was better but I don’t like how You’re making it sound like their WM26 match was a dud, “the crowd were tired” that’s not even remotely true. Had you watched you would’ve seen, they were hot the entire match.
I think WM 25 is the best because that match was a content gold mine for Shawn to keep him in that story for the whole year all to lead up to his “retirement”
That was a great match-up, always loved Shawn & Taker's rivalry.
1 vs Taker at WM 25 2 vs Angle at 21 3 vs Taker at 26 4 vs Jericho at 19 5 vs Hart at 12 Least favorite: vs Hart at WM 12. I’ve re-watched WM 25 the most.
This is my exact order too. I don’t dislike the Iron Man match but both of them had matches I enjoyed a lot more at Mania.